Bleeding Out
by FearlessinBlue
Summary: The world is overrun by mutated abominations caused by a nuclear catastrophe that spanned the globe. Four different boys coming from four different walks of life come together and struggle to unite, survive, & keep their secrets while also trying to save whatever is left of humanity. Apocalypse AU
1. Prologue

Intertwining Lives

A life of secrets,

A life of lies

When all you know is torn away

And you're faced with the reality of a world you helped create.

When staying means building upon your lies

And leaving means trying to change them for the better

But also abandoning the family you once knew.

This life is lonely

This life is lost

This life needs a home

A life of wandering

A life of questions

When you won't call it a life because you're more machine than man

When your life revolves around the accident and you isolate yourself

Because living among people makes you recognize your differences

And staying away keeps them hidden under a layer of thoughts

Overwhelming

Complicated

Cold

Scientific

Empty

Thoughts

This life is lonely

This life is lost

This life needs a home

A life born and raised in war

A life of burning anger

When you're faced with your deepest fears

And the bottomless pit filled with anger

Is not deep enough to save you

From yourself

When trust must be learned

Because you went to the wrong school of thought

This life is lonely

This life is lost

This life needs a home

A life of conflict

A life of unrelenting control

When the secrets you held back from those you trust

May destroy you from the inside out

When fear becomes a constant companion and your

Only solace

Is to stand in the rain and bleed out your sins

Because you are a living sin

An anomaly,

An outcast,

Different

This life is lonely

This life is lost

This life needs a home

These lives exist in a fallen world

The victim of greed

The children of this age of ash

Come from two crops

The twisted

Gnarled

Mindless Monsters

Who lack humanity,

Taken from them by the dark cloud of ash

And reformed to mindless violence

The survivors

Dirty

Determined

Scared

Fighting to stay alive

In the new world order

Clinging to humanity by the skins of their teeth

Living in these times change is not a welcome thing

But maybe it can be accepted

In the form of a third

And a new world order along with it


	2. Leonardo

He moved through the streets like the wind, silent and swift, hugging the shadows like his life depended on it, and it did. He disappeared into a dirty alleyway and pressed himself up against a crumbling wall of a building, breathing so softly that he didn't even seem to be breathing at all. He closed his eyes and focused.

He was dressed in long black trench coat with a hood that pulled over to hide his electric blue eyes. Over his nose and mouth was a tight black covering that hugged his face. His hands and arms were wrapped completely in white cloth, completely concealing his skin. His pants were black and ripped in many places, but under every hole was just more black and gray fabric. the only skin that ever showed was on his face. Strapped to his back were two black katanas with blue wrapped hilts. Also on his back was a gray backpack that was filled with only the bare essentials: A meager amount of food, a small first aid kit, a medallion and a ceremonial dagger, and finally a variety of random tools and objects.

Hamato Leonardo took another deep breath and focused his senses, stretching them out so that he could hear the slightest movement, feel every inch of the bricks he was pressed up against, and smell the death in the wind.

When that smell hit his nostrils his eyes snapped open, glowing an almost unnatural blue. He withdrew his katana from their sheathes and crossed them in front of his face. He then took a deep breath and waited.

A few minutes later there was a snuffling sound and heavy footsteps as a large, grotesque canine figure loped past the mouth of the alleyway. Its muscles were bulging oddly on the dog half of its body while the other half was a veiny human arm that pulsed angrily. The veins were filled with a glowing white substance that made the beast look ethereal in the early morning sunrise. The face of the great beast had sloppy jowls covered in the dried blood of its last kill, and blank white eyes that were characteristic of all mutants. It sniffed the air, its fleshy ears flopped around, making a sound that sent shivers down Leonardo's spine.

He waited until the right moment and then breathed out a small sigh. The beast tensed and its entire body began to twitch and growl. It turned slowly and stared directly at Leonardo. Leonardo did not give the beast a moment to think with what little bit of a brain that it had left and leapt from the shadows without ever making a sound. His katanas glinted in the faint light of the sunrise and he jumped almost impossibly high, soaring through the air and landing in front of the beast. As he landed, he brought his katana down like lightning and sliced a few gashes on the beasts back.

It howled in pain and fury and lunged at him. Leonardo jumped backwards impossibly fast, avoiding every swipe of the distorted, bloody hands, now armed with unbreakable steel claws.

He landed a few more deep blows on the beast, its hairy skin now marred by the numerous cuts and gashes, oozing a luminous white substance. Leonardo sighed as he turned back to the beast, which now was panting and glaring at him with fury. Deciding to take pity on the human turned beast, Leonardo beckoned it towards him, crouching in a low stance, his katana at the ready.

The beast let out a furious howl and lunged at him viciously, its jowls dripping with saliva. Leonardo ran at him just as fast, not even making a sound as he ran. The beast collided with him like a freight train, knocking the breath out of him and sending him reeling onto the ground. His head hit the concrete with a resounding crack and his vision was colored with little black spots that seemed to spread like a disease across his line of sight. He gasped for breath fruitlessly as the weight of the gargantuan beast landed atop of him with a thud.

He wheezed and struggled to take in a breath once more, looking up at the gaping maw of the beast. Its teeth were mere centimeters away from his face and its hot breath whispered over his face, making him recoil in disgust. The beast gazed at him with empty white eyes and sniffed the air around him. It let out a confused whimper but Leonardo could no longer stand to look at it. With pity filling his being he twisted the katana that he had buried in its stomach and looked away as its eyes went dead.

White fluid began to flow out of its body, covering him in the burning hot liquid. He winced and gagged, the pressure on his chest becoming almost unbearable. Realizing the peril that he was in, he took a few breaths, breathing as deeply as he could as he relaxed his body and mind, descending into a deep meditative state that essentially rendered him lifeless, his spirit separating almost completely from his body.

As he took his last look around him two thoughts ran through his head.

Firstly, that this thing, this ghastly beast was once a man, a New Yorker. Most likely walking the streets of Manhattan, probably on his way home to his wife and two kids. And now he was a dog-human mutant, mindless and soulless in its pursuit of its next meal: its once fellow human beings.

And secondly, someone had better find him soon. Because as strong as his body was, and as good as his master's teachings are, sooner or later he was going to be crushed. With a sigh he gave in and let the world go dark.


	3. Donatello

The night of this savage world was filled with a dangerous silence that meant anything but safely. Nighttime was when the great beasts roamed in droves, searching for any prey unlucky enough to be roaming the night unprotected. The eerie silence of this particular night was broken by the thunderous rumbling of a car engine. The modified, black SUV was running surprisingly smoothly on the barren expanse of cracked asphalt. Its engines roared as the hungrily devoured the mysterious fuel concoction that kept it running. Sitting in the front seat was a tall lanky figure, the owner and creator of the mechanical marvel, Donatello Morrissey. Tirelessly, Donatello watched the midnight horizon, his thoughts wandering from his mission to the world around him.

The suburban neighborhoods on either side of the road, that had once stood as a symbol of safety and community, were now empty and destroyed. They stunk of death and were littered with the mangled bodies of the families who had been either attacked or lost to the radiation.

Donatello shuddered as images of what he had seen on his last scavenging mission rose in his mind, unbidden. In the distance he heard the howling of a beast ringing through the ruins. He quickly turned up his classical music while simultaneously pressing his foot down on the gas pedal until his vehicle was flying away from the ominous call.

In reality, Donatello had no reason to fear the lower beasts that roamed this area. Since his "modifications", he hadn't been attacked. He sighed and examined himself in the rearview mirror, wincing visibly at the sight before him.

Half of his face was human with pale skin, freckles, curly brown hair, and a warm brown eye brimming with intelligence.

The right half of his face was hard, unfeeling metal. His right eye was glowing green, at the moment, as his sensors scanned the surrounding area for unseen threats. Donatello had designed the eye himself and it could detect the lifesigns of people and mutants, including heartbeat. He could also switch to the blue medical mode where he was equipped to do an x-ray scan and anything else that modern medical instruments could detect.

Finally there was the red attack mode where his sensors scanned for weapons and enemy life signs, etc.

The metal plating on his face covered the entire right half of his face. The metal was unique, however, in the fact that it was made up of nanobots controlled mentally by Donatello so that they melded to the shape of his face. Not only did this nanobot metal make up his face, but also his right arm and leg.

Donny flexed his metallic fingers on the steering wheel and sighed. His metal limbs may be a streamlined gift of his intellect, but they were also a curse. The efficiency with which they operated left him oftentimes thinking that he still had his human limbs, only to later recognize that he was merely half of a man.

An insistent beeping interrupted his musings and his vision turned red as his robotic eye picked up the fading life signs of a...

Donatello blinked a couple of times to refresh the readings and then turned his vehicle down the next road toward the curious development.

After a few minutes he came upon the carcass of a huge dog-beast sprawled in the middle of an intersection.

Donatello hopped out of the car with his built in flashlight shining from his robotic arm. He cautiously approached the body of the beast, examining the area from a safe distance. Once his sensors determined that the beast was in fact dead and that signs of life were originating from below it. He switched to medical mode and scanned through the beasts body. Underneath it he found a man barely breathing and severely injured man.

He quickly began switching through gadgets in his arm until he came to the carjack. As quickly as possible he cranked his arm and the body of the beast began to rise, revealing the still form of a man wrapped in black. Donnie grunted as his arm protested under the weight of the beast. He carefully maneuvered himself so that he could grip the jacket of the man. He took a deep breath to prepare himself and then pulled with all of his might.

The man was definitely heavier than he looked because Donnie was only able to get him halfway out from under the enormous carcass. He stopped pulling for a moment, his muscles protesting loudly from the effort and his lungs burning as he panted. He steeled himself and pulled on the man's jacket, gritting his teeth and squeezing his eyes shut.

Finally, the man's body was free from its rotting prison and Donnie quickly lowered the carcass back to the ground. He moved his patient a good distance away from it, so that he could examine him. He began a quick scan on the man before him.

His chest was no longer rising with the meager breaths that indicated the life signs from before. He was completely still, lying on the broken concrete covered in the white, sticky blood of the monster.

Donnie's breath quickened in anticipation as his scan finally finished. He picked up the man and raced to the car. He pulled open the passenger side door and hoisted the man's limp form into the seat.

He began charging his arm, hooking it into half of a rigged defibrillator he kept in the front for emergencies. Grasping the other paddle with his pale, freckled hand, he licked his lips nervously. When they were fully charged he pressed them against the man's chest. The shock of the electrical current surging through the man's body caused it to jerk and arch upward.

As Donnie pulled away to charge the paddles once more, the man gasped awake, his electric blue eyes unseeing and his skin deathly pale.

"Masaka!" He cried out in perfect Japanese, "sensei...chichi...oite ikanaide kudasai...onegaishimasu."

With that final mumbled word he drifted back into unconsciousness and Donnie looked at him quizzically.

First he picks up unidentifiable life signs, and then this man began speaking in Japanese.

Donnie shook his head and closed the door to the car after running one more scan to make sure that the man was stable.

He once more turned on his flashlight, scanning the area for any of the man's belongings. He spotted a dusty, slightly bloody backpack on the concrete, so he went over and grabbed it. As he stood, his flashlight reflected off of something. His curiosity piqued, he cautiously approached it. Strewn on the ground, covered in white blood were two katanas. As Donnie picked them up, he marveled at the supreme craftsmanship of the blades. The metal was light, yet strong. Etched into the metal near the hilt of each blade was a different set of Japanese characters. He wiped them off with an old rag he carried in his pocket and then carefully made his way back to his vehicle. Gingerly he set the man's belongings in the back, and hurried up to the driver's seat.

After scanning his patient to make sure he was stable, he once more began his long trek with a small detour in mind. He didn't have the proper medical equipment to treat this man in his car. His last hope lay with the nearest colony known as the Lair.

Donatello sighed, flipped on the lights and drove on through the night.


	4. Raphael

The morning sun broke over the mismatched metal barriers surrounding the small encampment. The Lair rested on the side of a mountain for protection, it's borders surrounded by walls made from scrap metal welded together. There were pieces of just about everything in the walls and nothing had broken through the walls yet... For now, life in the Lair was relatively peaceful. An older man emerged from the house in the center of the town, a young man with flaming red hair following him closely. The young man's hair had been styled into a mess mohawk and his ear was pierced with a diamond dulled by time. He was wearing a worn leather jacket with no sleeves over a white tank top and old dirty jeans that had been ripped in many places. His combat boots were old and worn but still in good enough shape. He yawned and stretched as he followed his father through the camp. Raphael Davidson was the son of the leader of the Lair. Every morning he and his father would rise with the sun and take first watch on the wall. The morning was either spent in silence or in heated argument.

Raph huffed grumpily as he strapped various weapons to his body. It was gonna be another one of those mornings. He followed his father up to the observation tower where a weathered man had his one good eye trained on the horizon. Raphael's father, Ely Davidson, went up to the man and clapped a friendly hand on the man's back. The two men exchanged a friendly but serious look before switching places.

"Looks like the Mad Scientist is back. His crazy van is headed toward the compound, should be here in a few minutes." the man said gruffly before descending the ladder and retreating to his home for some well-deserved sleep.

Raph sneered and took out his switchblade. He leaned against the wall of the watchtower and began flipping it in the air, the frown never leaving his tanned face.

After a few minutes of silence, except for the occasional sound of the handle of the blade hitting Raphael's palm, Ely sighed and looked at his son.

"Well stop pouting and spit it out boy." he said gruffly and Raph froze. His whole body tensed and inwardly Ely sighed. It was gonna be a bad one this time.

"I wanna lead da next hunt!" Raph blurted in a heavy Brooklyn accent.

"Not a chance in hell." Ely said immediately and turned his attention back to the approaching vehicle.

"We are in mothafuckin' hell Pops! And I'm a man now. How in da hell am I 'sposed to get any experience leadin' if you keep me cooped up in this crummy compound!" He yelled angrily, advancing toward where his father was standing.

Ely turned around slowly and fixed his done with a deadly glare.

"You will respect my decisions **boy.** " he practically spat out the word but Raph didn't even flinch. This argument was a well-worn topic and the exchange never changed.

"You do not have the maturity or the balls to lead a hunt and until you can prove to me that you care enough about this community to put your life on the line for it you wont set one fuckin' toe outside of those walls!" Ely thundered angrily but Raph just scoffed and angrily shoved his knife back in its sheath.

"That's bullshit." He muttered venomously and Ely snapped. He raised his hand and landed a hard slap on Raph's face, sending him reeling into the wall in surprise. Raph just looked at the hard eyes of his father in shock, his red cheek stinging terribly.

"Raph..." Ely softened and reached out to his son, regret in his eyes. Raph flinched away and glared at his father. He had been wrong; this typical fight had just taken a new turn.

"Fuck you! Don't fuckin' touch me!" Raph spat and his fury began to build to heights that it had never reached before.

"Speak to me with respect boy." Ely said, a hard edge to his words.

"Why? Why should I respect ya if ya don't even treat me like yer son! Like a man!" Raph screamed and balled up his fists.

"Because you. Are. Not. Ready." Ely emphasized every word and shoved his son toward the ladder. "Now go open the gate for the Mad Scientist and give him any help that he needs."

Raph took a deep breath and angrily descended the ladder. He stomped over to the large doors that were guarded by two men with machine guns. He gestured to them and the men grasped the handles for the heavy doors and pulled them open slowly. The black SUV towing the trailer was waiting patiently on the other side. Raph strutted up to the window as it rolled down.

"I have a medical emergency. I found a dying man. I need medical supplies." Donnie said urgently, glancing occasionally at the still form of his passenger.

Raph scoffed and began picking his teeth with his knife. "Newcomers gotta be vetted by the old man buddy. Ya know the rules."

"By the time you get your father down here this man will be dead. He needs medical attention now!" Donnie said in exasperation. This guy always got on his last nerve. "Don't you have any humanity left in you?!" he pleaded with the man and his face softened slightly. After a few minutes Raph sighed and moved away from the window.

"I'll escort you to the medical compound and as soon as this guy is taken care of we gotta follow procedure."

"Thank you. You won't regret this." Donnie sighed in relief and rolled up his window. Raph jogged in front of the vehicle and led the way to the medical building.

Donnie, aka the Mad Scientist hopped out of his vehicle and opened his passenger side door. The moment Raph caught sight of the figure covered completely in dark cloth, a shiver ran up his spine. He watched with a suspicious gaze as Donnie grabbed his medical supplies and rushed inside with the man slung over his shoulder.

It wasn't until they went through the doors and disappeared from his sight that the thought occurred to him that he might regret letting the stranger inside.

He shook off the feeling and leaned against the outer wall of the building. He lit a makeshift cigarette and took a deep puff from one end.

Little did Raphael know that this mysterious visitor would bring about the end of the Lair.


	5. Visitors

Donatello burst into the makeshift medical building with the stranger clutched in his arms. The few startled medics in the small room glanced at his metal arm and his scarred face with obvious distrust and disgust. Donnie didn't come around to the Lair, let alone the medical hut, very often and his unconventional additions had the tendency to 'stop traffic'.

"Why are you people just standing around?!" Donnie roared angrily at the frozen medics, "This man needs medical attention!" Despite his anger, everyone remained motionless.

 _'Idiots! So paralyzed by fear of the unknown that they cannot do their jobs!'_ he though to himself as he looked around the room for a cot to lay HIS patient on.

Suddenly a young redheaded nurse burst from the ranks and gestured over to an empty bed, ending his fruitless search. "Over here Don!" She called and an exasperated Donnie ran over to it as quickly as he could without jostling his patient too much.

"Thanks April." He huffed and laid the stranger down on the bed. The man groaned and shifted slightly, a wrapped hand twitching as if he was trying to move it. In the back of his mind he puzzled over why this strange man was completely covered in wrappings most commonly used for boxing or martial arts. As he removed the man's gear including his pristine pair of katanas he settled on the theory that he was most likely a martial artist, which was truly amazing. Many art forms such as martial arts had been lost in the chaos of the apocalypse.

"Where..? Where am I?" A smooth baritone suddenly cut through his thoughts and his attention was snapped back to his patient. The stranger tried to sit up but Donnie put his stronger cyborg arm on the man's chest to keep him down.

"Stay still please." Donnie said as he reached for a pair of medical scissors from the tray that April had set up for him. "I need to take these wrappings off of you ok? Just stay still." Suddenly the man shot up and gripped Donnie's metal arm with a death grip. For a second Donnie's brown eye and robotic eye met with the mysterious man's electric blue eyes and he saw panic like he never had before. The man pushed Donnie's arm off of him like it was nothing and struggled to his feet, his arm crossed over his stomach and his form hunched with pain. Donnie's eyes widened at this. This man shouldn't be able to sit up, let alone stand, in his condition.

"You will not touch me again stranger." The man said calmly and stumbled back into a tray, sending the instruments resting on it into the air. His free arm caught them deftly and he carefully placed them back on the tray. His eyes never left Donnie's, as he seemed to analyze him. It made Donnie feel strangely exposed and a shiver went down his spine at the idea of this man seeing straight to his core. Donnie watched the man with fascination and held up his hands to show that he meant no harm.

"You're hurt. We just want to help you." He said soothingly and the man's blue eyes flicked back and forth between Donnie and April nervously. After a moment he reached up and pulled down his mouth covering to reveal his face.

He had a strong jaw that was covered in a good amount of dark hair. His lips were chapped and his skin was tanned from traveling. He pulled back his hood to reveal messy dark hair pulled back by a thick rubber band. His eyes were such a sharp, eerie blue that they almost glowed in the light as he examined them.

"Thank you for your assistance but it is unnecessary. Now that I have awakened I shall tend to myself." he said slowly with a light Japanese accent.

Donnie gaped at the hunched form in front of him and then frowned, "No way! You were in critical condition when I found you. You need to get back in this bed so that I can examine you."

The stranger frowned stubbornly and shook his head, "I merely need time to gather myself and meditate. I have medical supplies in my belongings that I will use to tend to my wounds."

Donnie huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "I really think that you should let me take a look at you. Who knows how much internal damage you might have?! I'm a doctor. I can help you." He ended up pleading by the end but the man just shook his head.

"I must take care of myself. I thank you for the offer." For a second his chapped lips stretched into a tiny smile before it disappeared.

"If it is not too much trouble I would appreciate a chance to shave and rest. I assure you doctor, by tomorrow morning I will be fine."

He said in his quiet yet strong voice as he sat back on his cot.

"Yeah...okay." Donnie sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. Unfortunately he couldn't force this man to let him treat him, but the wouldn't stop him from keeping an eye on him. Something inside of him told him that he needed to stick by this man.

The man sat up on his bed and his legs folded into the lotus position as if they were made to do so. He looked a little odd, sitting on a medical cot in his dark ragged clothes but as he closed his eyes and rested his hands on his knees it was clear that he wasn't moving.

Donnie considered looking at his wounds while he was in the trance but quickly thought better of it. It wouldn't do to make an enemy of his patient. Not to mention the fact that he had no idea what this man could do. He had, after all, killed a large mutant by himself.

Donnie looked at April, her beautiful face scrunched in confusion before she shrugged and went about getting a razor and a bowl of water for the man. She rolled a cart next to his bed and placed them on it. She got a piece of reflective metal and gently laid it on the cart before methodically closing the curtains around his form.

She smiled at Donnie who seemed to be frozen in place, still bemused from what just happened. She put a hand on his metal arm and he flinched minutely. His metal limbs were too ugly for someone as beautiful as April.

"Why don't you head over to the mess hall Don? I'll keep an eye on him while you're gone." She smiled sweetly at him and Donnie nodded. She walked with him to the doorway, the other medical staff still ignoring him completely.

She gently shoved him out of the building and laughed as he stumbled slightly in the dirt.

"Go relax Dr. Donnie." She teased, resting her hip on the doorway. "I'll be here waiting for you."

Donnie smiled at her, his human cheek blushing a bright red at her words. April shook her head and shut the door.

Donnie froze when he heard a loud snort that turned into raucous laughter. He groaned and his shoulders slumped as Raphael came up behind him and roughly put his arm around his shoulders and shook him.

"Way ta go lover boy!" He chuckled and imitated April's voice, "I'll be waiting for you Dr. Donnie." He burst into another round of loud laughter and Donnie scowled in embarrassment. He tried to escape to his van but Raph's strong grip steered him towards the crowded mess hall. The residents of The Lair were waking up and heading in for breakfast before they began the day's work.

He groaned again in dread but he didn't have the strength to resist Raphael's grip.

Despite him dragging his heels they made it into the mess hall and Donnie found himself in line for food without knowing how he got there.

Despite the jostling in line he made it out unscathed with food on his plate.

Once again he found himself being steered toward an empty table in a quieter corner of the building. Raphael plopped down in his chair and began digging into his food.

The Lair had managed to grow one crop in the harsh landscape, spinach, and therefore everything people ate was spinach based. Today the spinach had been made into some sort of paste with a loaf of stale bread.

Donnie shuddered a little and moved the food around on his plate. Raphael was scarfing it down without a care and for a few minutes Donnie just watched him with morbid fascination. When Raphael ripped into the hard chunk of break on his plate he finally looked up and made eye contact with Donnie.

"What?" Donnie shrugged and timidly put a spoonful of the paste in his mouth. Just as he suspected, it tasted terrible.

"So what do I call ya? Ya been comin here for months and I don't even know yer name." Raph said as he struggled to swallow the hard bite of bread.

Surprised at the rare kindness, Donnie blurted out. "Donatello." He blushed at how fast it came out and quickly recovered, "My name is Donatello but you can call me Donnie."

"Donatello. Nice. Guess our parents had the same shitty idea about names. My name is Raphael." Raph snorted and scowled down at his food, "But if you call me Raphael I'll sock yer bitch ass. Call me Raph."

Donnie nodded nervously and when Raph relaxed he did as well. He choked down a few more bites of spinach slop before Raph spoke again.

"So Don. I'm real curious. How didja get da fancy robot gear?"

Donnie stiffened and his face darkened into a scowl. He glared at Raphael with his one good eye, but the cocky redhead seemed unaffected by it.

"How's your father?" Was his only reply and Raphael immediately tensed up, waves of fury flowing through him.

"Point taken." He gritted out as he brushed his calloused hand over his cheek. He sighed and rolled his shoulders, trying to loosen up his tense muscles.

"Well Donnie boy nice talkin to ya. Stick around for a while ya hear? We're goin on a raid tomorrow an I'd hate for ya ta be gone when some poor sap needs fixin." He said as he stood, shoved his hands in his pockets and ambled out of the mess hall.

Donnie rolled his eyes and looked down at his still full plate. His stomach rolled in protest and he quickly stood to dispose of it. He looked down at the table and sighed in exasperation when he saw the mess that Raph had left for him.

He quickly cleaned up the table and hurried out of the mess hall before he was forced to interact with anyone else. Nervously he glanced around the compound and felt his heart start to pound in his chest when people glanced his way and openly stared at his metal body parts. Just as their stares were getting suffocating he caught sight of his van. He let out a relieved breath and increased his pace until he once again found himself in his sanctuary.

He stepped into the vehicle and shut the doors behind him. Almost immediately, his heartbeat slowed and calm flowed through him. His thoughts drifted to the mysterious man in the compound infirmary. Something about him was intriguing, as if there was a mystery in the man that Donnie's brain was dying to solve. He took in the image of the man that his brain conjured up, mentally cataloguing his looks and examining him for some clue as to what the mystery even was. The only thing that he managed to discern was that the man was Japanese, trained in martial arts and covered from the neck down in cloth, not one piece of skin below the neckline was left exposed.

Immediately his brain began firing theories about hideous scarring, skin diseases, and the like that would be a viable explanation for the oddity that was his patient. As his brain continued to navigate the twisting paths of the mystery, simultaneously exploring probable explanations and disposing of dead ends. Almost as if on autopilot he sat down at his workstation and began tinkering with an old radar machine that he was altering to sense life forms both monstrous and human.

Raphael strolled the camp, whistling to himself and looking around for something to do for the day. He withdrew a makeshift cigarette from his belt and quickly lit it, letting the smoke fill his lungs and calm his temper. He blew outa large cloud and inhaled deeply so as to keep the small within him. Cigarette smoke never failed to calm his fiery temper but a cigarette was something hard to find and even harder to make, so it was a rare treat to have one.

He smoked the cigarette until it was but a small nub before throwing it on the ground and stomping it into the dirt. "Since when do you smoke?" his father asked quietly as he stepped out of the shadows.

Raph stiffened and leaned against the outer wall, trying to seem casual despite the fact that every muscle in his body was tensed in preparation for a fight.

Ely sighed and ran his hand over his face, "Look son..." he sighed but trailed off before he actually said anything. Raph looked away nonchalantly, trying hard to ignore his father.

"Look I'm uh... I'm sorry about earlier." Ely gritted out, his entire personality fighting the apology. A Davidson would never be caught dead apologizing but this was his son and Ely actually had a reason to apologize.

Raph's facade broke for a second as he gaped at his father, his form relaxing in pure shock.

"I-I was wrong and I never should have hit you son. I-" Raph cut him off as he pushed off the wall and ran a hand over his mohawk, sending hair in every which direction.

"Shut up dad. You were always shit at sayin' yer sorry anyways." he smirked and Ely let out a chuckle.

"You're right son. Howabout I stop talkin' and start doin'?" he pulled his son into a hug. The embrace was short and sweet as both men pushed away, clearing their throats awkwardly.

"Ya big sap." Raph muttered but a genuine smile spread across his face.

"Watch it kid." his father said jokingly before going quiet. He took a second to examine his son. He saw scars from countless incidents, accidents mixed with adventure and the harsh life in the Lair. He saw a good strong form that was necessary to survive in this land but most of all he finally saw the determination and the strength in his son's brown eyes.

"I want you to lead the scavenging mission tomorrow." Raphael brightened but before he could say anything Ely held up a hand to silence him. "This is just a trial run. No future opportunities guaranteed. Do good here and we can talk about you leading more missions. You're a man now but you need to prove yourself worthy of responsibility. You have to remember that you will have lives in your hands that aren't your own. It's time to become a man Raphael." his face stayed neutral as he spoke but his eyes sparkled with pride that sent Raph's heart soaring.

"Now howabout we go to my tent and start going over the plans for tomorrow morning?" he offered. Speechless, Raphael nodded and allowed his father to lead him to the command tent. They spent the rest of the day and part of the night going over plans and mapping out routes.

The next morning before the sun was even up Raphael was out of bed and loading the large pickup truck that would be used for scavenging supplies. He and three other men were currently loading up provisions and weapons for the day's work. Raph's blood was pumping quickly through his veins with excitement and a heady feeling rushed through him as they finished loading the truck and the driver fired up the engine. He took out the map made by him and his father the night before and handed it to the navigator. He then ordered everyone to get into the cab. He was the last to enter and as he stepped up into the truck he caught sight of his father up in the watchtower watching his progress. Raph took a deep breath and slammed the door shut. He slapped the dashboard with an open palm and the driver headed towards the gates. The gatekeepers on duty opened the gate just enough for the truck to slip through before the closed them once more. Despite the presence of sunlight, there was still a risk of a creature attack.

No one noticed a nimble black shape leap into the truck and peek out from under some blankets as it drove away from the compound and into the desert.

A few hours later Donnie woke with a start, his head shooting up as he was shocked awake. He huffed when he found a few papers from his desk were stuck to his face from a night of sleeping on them. He slowly peeled them off of his cheek and stretched. His back popped loudly as well as his shoulders and is neck. Once he was feeling loose and a little less sore from sleeping in such an odd position he stood and changed his clothes to another similar but different colored outfit. He exited his trailer, blinking as the harsh sunlight temporarily blinded his good eye and his robotic parts began firing up for the day. Once he was at full power he strolled stiffly toward the infirmary. His stomach growled angrily when he didn't head towards the mess hall first thing but he ignored it. His brain had been ruminating on the mysterious stranger all night and he had yet to come up with a definitive answer to the unspoken mystery. His curiosity always triumphed over his bodily needs.

He strolled into the cool building and made his way over to the curtains that surrounded his patient's bed. He took a deep breath, preparing himself before pulling back the curtain to reveal...

A completely empty medical cot, perfectly made and clean. His eyes widened and his heart pounded in his ears as his anger and confusion overtook him.

"APRIL!" He yelled as he scrambled away from the bed and began his frantic search for the man he saved.


	6. The Hunt

The beat up pick up truck sped across the deserted wastelands, clouds of dust stirring up in its wake. Raph sat in the cab of the truck with the driver, the navigator and three other hunters. He gazed listlessly out the window, bored already with the drive. Raphael was a man of action, therefore he rarely paid attention to the other technical aspects of the hunt.

About 20 minutes later they were far enough from the border of the safe zone to begin the hunt. Everyone seated by a window pulled out various pairs of binoculars and began scanning the landscape for their mutant prey. Suddenly one of the hunters yelled out, his eyes glued to his binoculars. Raph leaned over and looked out the window with his own binoculars. He smirked when he caught sight of the herd of deer scavenging through a field littered with abandoned vehicles. He turned to the driver and directed him to where they would stash the truck and then approach the deer from a distance. They concealed the truck behind an old tour bus and quietly exited the vehicle. Raph scanned his surroundings for good cover as he blindly searched the trunk for his rifle. When he didn't find it immediately his grunted in frustration, but before he could turn around to actively search for it, someone pressed the gun into his hand.

"Thanks." he said absently and watched as his men took up their positions. Mentally he counted them off in his head, but stopped suddenly when he realized that no one had stayed behind with him, instead all of the hunters had fanned out to surround the herd of deer. He was alone. _Who handed me my gun?_

His blood turned to ice in his veins and he quickly whipped around, aiming the barrel of his rifle at the clean cut young man sitting peacefully in the bed of the truck. The man cocked his head at him and a small smile spread across his chiseled face. Raph growled in frustration when the stranger remained unafraid, even calm, when he was face to face with the barrel of Raph's gun.

"Who da fuck are you?" He hissed, unwilling to compromise the hunt for a random stranger.

"My name is Leonardo." he replied in a deep quiet voice then raised a finger to his lips and pointed behind Raphael to where a deer had wandered close enough. It still hadn't noticed them yet so Raphael went on autopilot and lined himself up to take the shot. Effortlessly he lined up the deer's head in his sights and took a deep breath. As he released the breath from his lungs he fired the shot. With a short crack the deer toppled to the ground, lifeless. A perfect hole was drilled through it's skull, a bullseye.

Farther away there were various other cracking sounds as the rest of the hunting party fired on the now fleeing herd. Raphael turned his attention back to the stranger, once again leveling the gun at his relaxed form.

"You are a very good shot." Leonardo complimented him and Raphael's face screwed up in confusion.

"What da fuck are ya talkin' bout ya psycho?!" he growled out and Leonardo just laughed gently at him.

"I am not psychotic. I was restless in the compound and I wished to join your hunting party." he explained as he stood and jumped out of the bed of the truck.

Raphael looked at him in disbelief, his grip on the gun slacking and his arms and pointing at the ground instead of at Leonardo. He watched as Leonardo walked into the grass a few steps and then sat down with his legs crossed and his hands resting gracefully on his knees.

Raph rolled his eyes and leaned on the rifle, watching him in disbelief. _Dis whackjob is sittin' in the middle of the fuckin' neutral zone havin' a fuckin' zen moment._

Leonardo took a deep breath and effortlessly slipped into a shallow level of meditation, letting his spirit spread out over the field, feeling the life of the fading deer herd and the hunters as they gathered the usable remains of their kills. Just as he was about to dip into a deeper level of meditation, inspired by the peace of the area, a new life entered the radius of his awareness.

He gasped in pain as his vision turned blood red and his mind was assaulted by the confused ramblings and scrambled images coming from the large life force. He tried desperately to regain control of his own mind but it was as if the force was pulling him in, racing towards him. He gasped in recognition as a loud hum began building in his ears, as if there were hundreds of voices all clamoring for his attention. This force, this violent, overwhelming force was constantly pursuing him. Everytime he settled down to meditate and try to connect with his father on the other plane of existence, it would appear and devour his concentration. His struggles earned him the power to focus for a moment and a loud voice broke through the cacophony.

 _Leader._

It moaned out at him and the other voices quickly joined in, chanting loudly. Leo screamed and pulled himself out of his meditation, gasping desperately for breath but every molecule of air burned his lungs. Every molecule that was him burned just from living, from existing. No matter how he tried the presences lingered in his mind as they neared his location. In a panis he stumbled to his feet, desperate to escape the pain and darkness that were slowly suffocating him.

As he spun around to run he locked eyes with the young man that he had stowed away with. That was when ithit him. There were hunters all through this field and the horde was approaching quickly. Unwilling to sacrifice innocent lives because he could not escape the horde he ripped the binoculars out of the startled man's hands and scanned the horizon for any sign of the horde.

It was a mere flash that stopped him but as he focused he felt fear rise up within him. Racing towards them was a pack of Black mutants. They were the most dangerous out of all of the mutants because of their intelligence and ferocity. Black mutants were the product of a fusion between an animal and a human, a deadly and violent combination. All of the breath left Leonardo's lungs when he heard the first crack ring through the air. Suddenly the mentality of the Black pack shifted and Leo could hear the echo of their minds in his.

 _Kill._

 _Blood._

 _Hunt._

 _KILL!_

Leo dropped the binoculars and reached behind himself to grasp the katanas strapped to his back. he was stopped by the cold press of the barrel of a rifle pressed against the place where his skull met his spine. He sighed and his blood pumped faster in his veins as the anticipation mounted.

"What the fuck do ya think yer doin'? " came the rough voice of the young man with fire for hair. Leo nardo slowly turned to face him, his hands still raised in a non-threatening manner. The man's face betrayed the anger and suspicion that emanated from him in waves. Leonardo winced and struggled to keep his voice calm as he tried to explain the horrifying force that was headed towards them.

"Please. A Black pack is coming for your men." He pleaded and cautiously held out the binoculars, "Look for yourself."

Quickly the young man grabbed the proffered binoculars and scanned the horizon. Leo knew the exact moment that he saw the Black pack by how his grip in his rifle tightened and his body became taught and at the ready.

The young man lowered the binoculars in disbelief and his face only betrayed his shock and revulsion.

"So that's what those fuckers look like." He mumbled and dread filled Leonardo. This young man had never seen a Black mutant, let alone battled one.

"What is your name?" He asked as he drew his katanas from their sheaths and to check that they were once again ready for battlen

"Uh.. Raph." The young man watched him in a daze.

Leo nodded at him and then twirled his katans. His electric blue eyes turned deadly and he seemed to trasform before Raphael's very eyes. Suddenly he was a killing machine, deadly from every angle. The calm stranger from before had disappeared completely.

"Stay behind me Raph. And whatever you do stay out of sight."

With that he took off towards the Black pack, moving inhumanly fast. Raph shook himself out of his stupor and ran at full speed in an attempt to keep up with Leonardo. He lost sight of him for a mere second and an inhuman and chilling roar filled the air. It shook Raphael's bones and he stumbled into a clearing. Leonardo was standing in the middle of the clearing, tense and ready to attack at a moment's notice.

A low growling echoed throughout the clearing and suddenly eight hulking Black mutants slipped out of the tall grass and into the clearing. Their attention was focused on something in front of Leonardo. Raphael craned his neck around to see what it was just as the ninth and the largest beast rose from the ground. It was a mix of a timberwolf and what used to be a woman with white hair. The beast was completely covered in red blood and as Leo shifted Raph caught sight of the mangled body of one of the hunters.

"Bryant." Raph whispered as his eyes met the dead, empty eyes of Bryant. His mouth was open in a silent scream and his entire body and been cut open from the neck down to reveal the mangled, tangled mess that used to be his innards.

Bile quickly rose up in Raph's throat but he swallowed and banished it to his stomach once more. Bryant was gon and that was the end of it. His main concern now needed to be the safety of himself and his other men.

The beasts were frozen in anticipation of the kill, blood having taken over their minds and the call to shed it was their only purpose. Leo felt it overwhelm his mind as well just as one beast landed for the carcass that Leo had been protecting.

He launched himself at the beast in a craze and his blades slashed mercilessly at the flesh of it's neck, spraying blood everywhere and covering Leonardo in the white, radioactive blood of the Black Mutants. He didn't stop with the mutant until he had essentially hacked its head from its body, leaving it hanging from the carcass by a mere flap of flesh. Growling he turned to the other beasts and let out a furious yell as they launched at him in defense of their fallen brother.

Leonardo was a flurry of flying metal and limbs as he landed blows upon the beasts at every opportunity. They slashed at his thick coverings but he always managed to dodge at the last second. In the blink of an eye he was ten feet away and running at the beasts in full attack mode.

Raph watched in morbid fascination as Leonardo launched himself at the head of one beast and buried his katana deep in its skull in a matter of seconds. Thinking that the weapon was lost in the intensely thick bone prison, Raph tried to call out to Leo in warning but effortless Leo pulled his katan free and pointed it perfectly so that it speare the mutant launching itself directly at him, its maw gaping in coldbooded fury.

Now surrounded by the eight bodies of the underling Black Mutants, Leo turned to the white-furred female that had sat and watched with amazing calm for something consumed by bloodlust. Leo advanced on her slowly,the two deadly beings circling each other.

"Kill it!" Yelled a new voice and Leo turned only slightly to see that the rest of the hunting party had joined Raphael on the sidelines of the fight. Leonardo could feel his recently healed body starting to falter slightly and he knew that he needed to finish this as soon as possible. He could not hold out for much longer.

He ran at the beast and just when the beast was about to snap her jaws and end his life amidst her yellowed and bloody teeth, he launched himself into the air and flipped onto her back. He landed on her back as if he was riding a horse and wasted no time before he plunged his katana into her soine all the way to the hilt. Te beast bucked crazily in her last moments of life but Leonardo's face remained impassive and blood-spattered as he held onto his katana, keeping the blade buried completely in her body. After a few weaks jumps and snarls, the beast collapsed on the ground, panting heavily as the life drained from her body.

Leo dismounted from his position on her back, ripping his sword out of her flesh with a sickening sound. He stumbled slightly as fatigue finally caught up to him. He placed his hand on the beast's shoulder to steady himself momentarily and got caught in the gaze of the gargantuan beast as it neared death.

He felt her conscious enter his mind briefly before slipping away, leaving her last words ringing in his ears.

 _Master._

 **A/N: sorry I disappeared for so long everyone! New chapters will hopefully be flowing forth soon!**


	7. Suspicion

Leonardo pulled away from the mutant so fast it was as if touching her burned him. As he pulled away she turned her head to follow him and he razor sharp fangs sliced through his wrappings on his hand. Leo quickly shoved his hand in his pocket, panic flowing through his veins so quickly that he felt like his heart would pop out of his chest at any second. The other hunters slowly approached him, awe in their eyes. Raphael's brown eyes were sparkling with excitement as he clapped his hand on Leo's back with such strength that Leo stumbled slightly from the impact. His legs weak like jelly, Leo took a few tentative steps before his legs gave out and he found himself on his knees in the dirt.

Raph was immediately at his side, helping him to his feet. He wrapped his arm around Raph's shoulders and leaned against the young man as they limped back to the truck. He heard Raph snort in distaste when some of the glowing white blood that covered Leonardo from head to toe got on his clothes. Leo let out a weak chuckle in response and the young man glared at him.

When they got to the truck the hunters helped Leo into the back of the truck where he immediately assumed his meditative position. Raph insisted on helping the other men load the spoils of their trip into the bed of the truck, making sure to leave enough space for Leonardo to rest comfortably. When they had collected everything that was usable, Raphael climbed into the bed of the truck with Leonardo and tapped the roof of the cab to signal the drive that they were ready to leave.

He turned to Leonardo as the truck started to move away from the bloody clearing.

"So ya gotta tell me how ya did all of dat fancy shit buddy." he demanded with a grin but frowned when he noticed that Leonardo had ascended into meditation. Raph waved his hand in front of his face and called his name but the man remained motionless.

"Damn!" he cursed and leaned back against the edge of the bed of the truck, watching the landscape pass by. It was in these minutes of silence that the true impact of what they had gone through hit the young hunter. He had seen his first Black mutant and it had been utterly terrifying. He shuddered just thinking about the dead eyes of the beast and the mangled corpse of Bryant. The blood dripping from its jaws was the blood of one of his men, one of his friends. He sighed and scrubbed his face with his hands, trying to banish the images that flashed in his head and the guilt that accompanied each one. But most of all he was trying to banish the fear that had frozen him on the spot, the moment where he had been unable to do anything to save his men and had to entrust their safety into the hands of a stranger. Donatello's strange patient.

Raph glanced over at Leo and noticed with a frown that one of his hands was still shoved into his pocket while the other lay open on his knee. Curious, Raph reached for the limp arm that rested in the pocket of Leo's tattered trench coat. His fingers were inches from the wrapping on the arm when a strong grip on his hand startled him and shoved him away from Leo. Raph sheepishly looked up at his companion but Leonardo's face was hard and emotionless. Suddenly Raph was reminded of the exact same face that he wore when he killed the Black mutants.

"Uh... I was just worried bout yer hand. Did the beast getcha?" he said gruffly, trying to cover up his embarrassment.

"I am fine. Merely a scratch." Leonardo said shortly, his tone had a sense of finality to it but Raphael had never been good and stopping before he went to far.

"Ya better let Doctor Don have a look at it." Raphael pressed and for just a moment he saw a flash of paralyzing fear in those electric blue eyes but it was quickly hidden behind an impassive mask. Leonardo just nodded wordlessly and looked out at the barren landscape around them.

"So where ya from?" Raph asked awkwardly, trying to keep the suffocating silence at bay.

"What was left of Japan." Leo sighed and got a far off look in his eyes.

"Woah. You survived in Japan? I heard that everyone on that whole damn island go mutated.

"Not everyone." Leonardo whispered, as images of his master appeared unbidden in his mind.

Giving up on any hopes of conversation, Raph leaned back and looked out at the scenery, his mind now full of questions about the stranger rather than the guilt of Bryant's death.

When they arrived back at the compound the gates opened automatically for the familiar truck and as soon as they parked a crowd of people gathered to help unload and here about the hunt. Raphael was pulled aside by his father and both men had a somber look as the walked back to the guard tower to discuss the events of the hunt.

Leonardo tried to shakily sneak away from the crowd to explore the town but a metal hand clamped around his arm and he found himself face to face with the tall for of the doctor that had saved his life.

"Infirmary. Now." Donatello growled, his face red with anger. Leonardo sighed and let himself be led into the infirmary where the doctor cornered him on his cot and began scanning him for injuries. His scanners came up empty but indicated that Leonardo's body was extremely fatigued. He all but strapped the young man to the bed, ordering him to get some rest under his strict supervision. Leonardo's one stipulation had been a few moments of privacy to which Donnie had reluctantly agreed. As soon as the robotic doctor left Leonardo sighed and located his pack right where he had left it by the foot of his bed. He opened the bag and pulled out the roll of bandages that he kept in there. He looked around nervously before hastily unwrapping his previously injured hand. He scowled at the unmarred, smooth skin underneath the bandages and began meticulously wrapping his hand with the roll of bandages from his bag.

Donatello stood impatiently outside the closed curtains surrounding his patient's bed. He felt oddly protective of this stranger despite never having really spoken to him. Currently his conscience was warring with his curiosity as he fought the urge to peek through the curtains and peek at exactly what the stranger was doing. He fidgeted nervously for a few more seconds before he gave in and parted the curtains just wide enough for him to look through with one eye.

He had chosen his human eye considering the fact that his human half is what got him into this. The stranger was meticulously wrapping bandages around his palm, but his fingers were still free. Don only caught sight of the skin for half of a second before the stranger's head snapped up and their eyes locked on each other. In a flash the stranger had turned around to finish his wrapping out of Donatello's sight while Donatello pulled away from the gap in the curtain. His face was bright red with embarrassment and his fidgeting only got worse. That one glimpse hadn't fed his curiosity nearly as well as he thought it would, merely whetting his appetite for the mystery.

"You may come in now doctor." The stranger said from the other side of the curtain.

Ashamed of himself and his lack of self-control, Donnie entered with the intent to apologize profusely but before he could say anything the stranger cut him off. He held up a bag of tea leaves and smiled softly at the curious doctor.

"Would you happen to have some hot water? I believe it is time for me to properly thank you for saving my life." Shocked that the man was not angry with him for invading his precious privacy Donnie merely nodded and went to get some hot water for the tea.

After Raphael helped the men unload the meat to the butcher, who would cut the usable pieces of the animal up into shares for community, he headed to the main guard tower where he knew his father was waiting for the report on the trip. When he reached the top of the ladder, Raph took a deep calming breath and knocked on the door.

"Come in." Ely's rough voice called from the other side of the door. Raph pushed it open and climbed up into the guard tower. Ely merely looked at Raph expectantly as he pulled a chair over next to his father and they sat side by side, staring out onto the wasteland as the light faded.

"Bryant is dead pop." Raph suddenly said, his voice quiet but still rough with emotion. Ely sighed and ran a hand through his greying hair. "It's mah fault." Raph growled and gripped the wood of the chair with a death grip.

"We was just hunting some low level White mutants, a couple deer for the community, when I discovered dat da guy dat Doctor Don brought in had stowed away in da truck. I was pissed at first but den he saw a small pack of Black mutants. I ain't never heard of Black mutants being dis close to the Lair before pop. Now dis guy, Leonardo, ran ta save Bryant and da others but i just stood there. I ain't never even seen a Black mutant before and when I thought dat I'd have ta fight one I just...I froze up!" Raph angrily punched the wall, the wood splintering under the strength of the punch. Ely put a calming hand on his shoulder.

"Go on." he urged and Raph sighed.

"But Leo pop. Ya should have seen 'im. It was like some kind of inhuman death dance da way he killed all dose mutants." Ely frowned as Raph continued excitedly, describing the battle between Leonardo and the Black mutants with detail and vigor. Ely could see the admiration in his son's eyes, but he only felt a deep ache in the pit of his gut that usually meant trouble. Ely had never heard of one man taking down a pack of Black mutants, even if it was small, they were just too intelligent, too dangerous. When Raph finished his story Ely was rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"You did well Raphael. There was nothing more that you could have done for Bryant." he squeezed Raph's shoulder, hoping to quell the cyclone of guilt that was building inside of his passionate son. "Do not let these emotions consume you again." he said sternly and Raph nodded, fear in his big brown eyes.

"Now...I think that it's time that a I met this Leonardo who has impressed you so much." He let a small smile out from behind his cold mask, but it did not reach his eyes. Those expressive grey orbs were filled with trepidation and suspicion.

When Ely entered the infirmary it was quiet except for the distant coughing of a sickly elder and the soft voices coming from his destination. When Ely opened the curtains and walked into the small space, Donatello and Leonardo were both cupping empty Japanese-style tea cups while talking quietly. The only light was that of a small gas lamp and the flickering light of the flame threw the face of the young stranger into shadow while it glinted off of the metal on Donnie's face.

"Ely." Donnie quickly stood and held out his human hand to shake. Ely shook it slowly, his gaze never leaving the form of the young man in the hospital bed. "What brings you here?"

"I believed that it was time that I meet our new guest. Thank you for saving my sons life today." Leonardo merely bowed his head in respect and a small smile rested on his face.

"How nice." Donnie said nervously. He could almost feel the tension coming from Ely and he nervously glanced at his new friend to make sure that this conversation wouldn't turn to bloodshed. Leonardo, however, was completely calm, his brilliant blue eyes calm and bright.

"I also have some questions." Ely said gruffly, eager to get down to business. He pulled another chair up to the bed and fixed Leonardo with a stare that would have made a lesser man spill his dark secrets. Leonardo merely poured himself some more tea and took a long sip.

"What kind of questions?" Donnie asked suspiciously, feeling protective of his friend once more.

"Questions for him. I want to make sure that the Lair is safe with him here." Ely didn't even glance at Donnie, trying to gauge the responses of Leo. Leo frowned slightly and set his tea cup down.

"I intend no harm to fall upon your people Mr. Davidson." he said in a soft, smooth voice.

"Where are you from." Taking the response as a sign of consent to be questioned, Ely jumped right in.

"I am from Japan." Leonardo replied and Ely's eyes widened.

"You survived Japan? In one piece? I thought that everyone over there was mutated!" Ely exclaimed, his curiosity piqued.

"Your son said something similar when I told him earlier. I told him that not everyone suffered the gruesome mutations that plague the island." Leonardo replied vaguely, the small smile still plastered on his face.

"Why weren't you mutated?" Ely asked suspiciously but Leonardo ignored him.

"Next question please."

Ely growled in irritation and moved on to his next question. "Why do you wear those bandages?" Ely asked and Donnie, who was about to protest the questioning of his patient this late at night, closed his mouth. He hated to throw his friend to the wolves, but he was curious as to the reasoning as well.

"To cover up my skin from the heat of this sun. I'm afraid that it burns easily." The blatant lie fell from Leo's mouth and hung in the room like a dark cloud.

"Why don't you take them off right now then?" Ely pushed stubbornly and Leo's face hardened.

"Is that all of your questions Mr. Davidson? I'm very tired after all the action today and would like to get some rest." Leo said coldly and Donnie began to fuss over him, glaring at Ely for exhausting his patient.

"Yes. I must ask you to turn in your weapons." Ely's face was stony, unflinching in the face of the young man's glare.

"May I ask why?" Leonardo's face was impassive, the small smile gone completely.

"No one except for wall guards are allowed to have weapons in the compound. It keeps visitors and residents safe. If you won't turn them in then I'm afraid that you'll have to leave."

"Ely." Donatello intervened; he could tell that Leonardo would rather cut off a limb than turn in his precious katana. "He is too weak to even wield them right now. I will lock them in my van where no one else can access them. I will also see to any upgrades and purchases that you need at a discounted price. I urge you to accept." Donnie's usually soft brown eyes were hard and stubborn, unwilling to compromise.

Ely gritted his teeth and inwardly battled with his instincts to enforce his rules, but the colony needed the technology and the assistance of Donatello. The colony always came first. Ely grunted and nodded curtly at the cyborg, refusing to look him in the eye, instead glaring in the direction of the hospital bed where Leonardo was resting.

"I think you should go. I will find you tomorrow to see what exactly you need me to take care of while I'm here." Donnie watched Ely reluctantly trudge out of the infirmary and winced when the man slammed the door behind him. Donnie sighed and went back to check on Leonardo, who was now peacefully sleeping in his bed.

"You sure are a trouble-maker." he whispered fondly as he put out the lamp and took the katanas that had been laid out on the table with him back to his van.

The next night when the Lair gathered to cremate the corpse of Bryant, Leonardo and Donatello stood in the back of the crowd, mourning the loss of life in a world with so little left. Leonardo stepped forward after all of the villagers had paid their respects to the roaring blaze that was now Bryant's body. Leo held up a piece of cloth covered in the Black mutant leader's blood.

"May your soul find eternal peace young one." he whispered and then let the cloth drift into the flames to burn with the rest of the kindling. Leo turned around and felt the eyes of Ely Davidson burning into his skin. Leo met his suspicious gaze and gave him a nod before letting Donnie escort him back to the infirmary. Ely made sure to keep his eye on every step that the strange man took. Somehow he knew that this would be the downfall of his Lair.


End file.
